FeedsBelleville approves support for DDA
Belleville officials have approved the ‘resolution to support the Downtown Development Authority (DDA).
The resolution was approved by a 4-1 vote Monday night during the city council meeting. Councilmember Brian Blackburn cast the lone dissenting vote.
“Why do we need this?” he said. “I support the DDA and our businesses, but why do we need this?”
Councilmember George Chedraue, who drafted the resolution, said there’s been a perception that the city council and the development authority are ‘at odds’ with each other, “so this is to show the groups are all one and they need to work together,” he said.
“The city council, for the City of Belleville, supports and adopts recommendations the development authority has made and wishes that all citizens and business people would join together to have this project—the Main Street project—completed in a timely and cost conscious manner,” according to the resolution.
After numerous consultations with all parties—city council, DDA, businesses and professional personnel—a decision was made to have several alternative plans prepared for the enhancement of the downtown district, including replacement of the water main, Main Street paving and the streetscape. The businesses are important for the survival of the city and the enhancement of the downtown district is of utmost priority for the survival of the city, as stated in the resolution.
The project is an important issue facing the businesses and their survival during this difficult time, Chedraue said.
“We understand there can be economic hard times, we know that, that’s what that line means,” he said.
The DDA members recently approved their own resolution—to invest in downtown—as part of the Main Street Project. The project will take place over two years, starting in July 2009, with the final date still to be negotiated between business owners and the development group. The plans are all dependent on the outcome of the referendum ballot in the August election. If approved, the bond process can start for the project.
“The DDA has put the information out and I want the citizens to vote,” said Mayor Pro Tem Rick Dawson. “What you do is up to you, but if this doesn’t pass, there’s a good chance we have to live with what we got.”
